Mercedes launches EQC

Luxury now has electric in India’ EQC heralds a new era of e-mobility and ‘sustainable luxury’ in the Indian automotive landscape

Pune: India’s largest luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz today started the new era of future mobility in the luxury segment with the launch of Mercedes-Benz EQC. The launch of the EQC represents Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to the automotive industry’s journey towards a sustainable future and signifies a major milestone towards Mercedes-Benz’s "Ambition 2039" which aims to achieve climate-neutral mobility. The Mercedes-Benz EQC is the first product under the Mercedes-Benz EQ brand, a comprehensive product, and a technology ecosystem that aims to shape the future of mobility, which derives from the Mercedes’ brand values of ‘Emotion’ and ‘Intelligence’.

The EQC is launched with a comprehensive ecosystem that makes it as much fun to drive as a practical car for the customers. The EQC ecosystem promises to take care of the entire customer journey comprising ordering the car online or offline through a showroom, innovative finance packages from DFS, service and charging support across Mercedes-Benz India’s renowned and dense network of 100 outlets in 48 cities, an industry-first battery cover and a bunch of best-in-class service packages.

The EQC was launched in India by Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, and Santosh Iyer, Vice President, Sales & marketing through a digital event streamed from the company’s Centre of Excellence in Chakan, Pune.

Launching India’s first luxury EV, Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO commented, “EQC is one of the most anticipated cars in the luxury space and we are glad to pioneer a new segment in India, that of the Luxury EV. We are excited to launch this car for our discerning customers in India who always wanted a practical electric car with a long-range, which is very stylish, extremely refined and fun to drive, laden with the latest generation intuitive technology, extremely safe, has zero tailpipe emission, and -most importantly- a pure Mercedes. The EQC meets all these criteria of today’s tech-savvy customers as it combines effortlessly design, functionality, technology, and luxury together in a unique package. Our objective is to put our combined experience and understanding of the Indian market and customers behind the EQC and create a long-term, worry-free, sustainable, and green mobility ecosystem in India. The EQC will become a torch-bearer towards sustainable luxury in India.”

Mr. Schwenk further added, “Listening to the customers, we launched the EQC in India after creating a nationwide ecosystem that will seamlessly support the EQC customers’ ownership requirements. The entire customer journey of an EQC customer promises to be simple and worry-free starting from booking the car online or offline, financing, wall box installation, charging, and service facilities available across our network. In addition, we are also working towards setting up fast DC chargers on popular routes in tandem with our expansive network spread.”

“EQC will be rolled out from 13 locations in 6 cities in the initial phase. In all such locations, we have exclusive EQC display areas along with dedicated EQC teams who will take care of all the sales and customer service requirements of an EQC customer. With some of the most attractive finance schemes, a comprehensive service package, and an industry-first battery cover on offer, we are confident owning an EQC will not only be novel but also a hassle-free vehicle to own. It definitely marks Mercedes’ leap into a new era, in which electric mobility is reliable, simple yet exciting. We are confident EQC will pave the way for further expansion of our green cars portfolio and underline our electric ambition in India suitably.”

Intelligent Futuristic Exteriors and Interiors that offer sustainable luxury

The EQC radiates ease and modernity where SUV practicality meets sports car sleekness. The EQC’s design language speaks with progressive clarity; exemplified by unique features such as the Widescreen Cockpit, LED strip light front and rear, and the black panel radiator grill. The EQC’s interior is both progressive and modern, using renewable materials for the upholstery and featuring rose gold finishing. The MBUX intuitive system is a revolutionary infotainment system with natural voice control, touch-sensitive surfaces, and seamless navigation.

Optimum planning before a journey | Mercedes me app’s benefits

New Mercedes Me Connect features: benefits all existing Mercedes owners.

With the vehicle’s battery management, the users can remotely check the EQC’s battery status, access the status of charging, available range, and indication upon charging completion. The user can also remotely define the maximum status of the charge and set it as per convenience.

The pre-entry climate control feature ensures the user can set the vehicle’s individual zone temperatures before the drive. The Anti-theft alarm system, along with Mercedes me connect gives notification on the App in case of any unwanted movements inside the locked car, and for tow-away protection. EQC Compatible charging stations across India are also visible on the EQC Navigation system for ease. Other key features of Mercedes me connect are:

• Biometric ID access for unlocking the car ensures complete safety
• Opening and closing of car windows, sunroof remotely from anywhere
• Geo-fencing: Set a perimeter for the car’s movement and receive notifications
• Vehicle Finder:  Enables the car’s horn and flashes the lights
• MB India continues to offer the Corona Testing Centres in Navigation System through MBUX
• All EQC customers and existing Mercedes customers will receive new and exciting MMC features OTA periodically

EQC drivers can plan their destinations from the home or office, enter a departure time and bring the interior to the desired temperature. The Mercedes me app creates transparency and helps drivers to plan upcoming journeys to the best effect. Programming is possible directly via MBUX - Mercedes-Benz User Experience or via the Mercedes me App.

Intelligent recuperation| Preserves and perseveres

To ensure that the technical operating range is used to the maximum, the Mercedes-Benz EQC also charges its batteries when on the move through intelligent recuperation. The driver has a major influence on recuperation. He/she is also able to influence the recuperation level using so-called paddles behind the steering wheel. The paddle on the left increases the level of recuperation, the paddle on the right reduces it. The following stages are available:

• D + (coasting)
• D (low recuperation)
• D - (medium recuperation)
• D - - (high recuperation): This makes one-pedal driving possible because in most situations the recuperative deceleration is enough not to require the operation of the brake pedal.

Fit and Healthy package:

The fit and healthy package of the EQC comprises an ENERGIZING comfort programme, ENERGIZING coach, front seat heating, AIR-BALANCE package for fragrance, ionization, and filtering of the interior air. There is also ambient lighting with programme-specific lighting moods. The EQC’s ENERGIZING package’s unique features thus have positive effects on the occupants.

The ENERGIZING programmes in the EQC comprise unique programmes like:

• Refresh | Vitality | Training

It has video instructions, e.g. to loosen up the muscles (only available when stationary), etc. The EQC also provides 3-minute audio information tips for sustained promotion of one’s health and day-to-day well-being, for the head, shoulders, torso, lower back, and pelvic areas of the body

Safety features in the EQC:

Taking care of the occupants’ safety, the EQC features 7 airbags, attention assist, PRE-SAFER system, ESP, and Active Brake assist.

Technical data

EQC Network: 6 cities 13 locations

The EQC will be retailed from 6 metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai, apart from being sold through Mercedes-Benz India’s e-commerce site. The EQC customers will have access to 13 dealerships and locations across these cities to experience the EQC on-ground. Mercedes-Benz India has a dedicated team of EQC experts assisting customers in their sales and for any customer service requirements.

Training of EQC team:

Mercedes-Benz has undertaken a rigorous ‘physi-digital’ training for the entire EQC team including in-house experts, sales, CRM, and customer service teams across all the locations to ensure a thorough understanding of the new vehicle, and develop an ecosystem-based on years of domain knowledge and expertise leading to an ownership experience that is hassle-free.

Charging locations:

An EQC customer can avail of Mercedes-Benz India’s strong network for any charging or service related requirements. Mercedes-Benz will have a charging facility at over 100+ locations spread across 48 cities across the country. This will ensure a customer will always find their way to a charging station for any intra or intercity commute. For convenient charging at home or office, a wall box is provided to customers. 

Service offerings for the EQC:

The EQC has 3 key advantages for a customer in form of 3 unique service offerings:

   a)    5 years unlimited km Comprehensive Service Package

   b)    5 years unlimited km Extended Warranty

   c)    5 years unlimited On-Road Assistance

Finance and insurance packages from Daimler Financial Services:

Mercedes-Benz has curated some innovative ownership plans for the EQC with Star Agility. These include:

• 43% Lower EMIs as compared to 3 years standard loan
• 28% Lower EMIs as compared to 4 years standard loan
• Assured buy-back value (the customer gets the assurance at the time of purchase)
• Easy upgrades (Star Agility offers at the end of the loan tenure, an option to retain, refinance or return the vehicle or shift to another model that meets their requirement)
• 3-year tenure Star Agility EMIs start at INR 144,111 | Standard loan EMI starts at 256,000
• Insurance add-ons: Return to Invoice, Zero Depreciation (incl. consumables), Exclusive tire and rim cover

Pricing:

The new Mercedes-Benz EQC has priced at INR 99.30 lakhs (all prices are ex-showroom, India).

Price includes for the first 50 units: AC Wall Box charger, home electrical charger, 5 years unlimited on-road assistance, 5 years comprehensive service package, 5-year unlimited kilometers extended warranty, 8 years/160000kms battery cover